


Follow Your Ghost

by Lewis Stockton (Larkin125)



Series: Ghost In The Shell [2]
Category: Ghost in the Shell (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Memory Loss, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-07-20 07:12:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16132262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larkin125/pseuds/Lewis%20Stockton
Summary: Awakening in a strange box and with no memory of his past. Given a new name and a new life, Yami begins to work for Section 9.Slowly falling for his superior officer, Yami and Motoko develop a close working relationship.





	1. Awakening

_~ Awakening ~_

A small buzzing sound resounded as he woke up, hazel coloured eyes looking around the dimly lit room. How long had he slept? Enough, arguably, considering he had woken up completely energised. If only he didn't have trouble standing up. Wherever he was, this room was barely the size of a small wardrobe.

Is it true that the past must be paid for? For as he went through the motion of waking up, wearing clothes that were hanging off the oddly small room. Were those glasses on his face? Why? Did he need them? He couldn't say, with that darkness and odd falling feeling. Where was he, really? He tried to remember anything he did last night.

It was then the young man finally felt the falling stop, letting out a louder thud than a mere man made of flesh. His memory was blank, he could not remember anything past waking up.

Mass theft, smuggling of a series of new prototypes with higher compatibility with newer technology filled with some information, all with an effluence never seen before for the public. There was something more than cash being pushed for these new bodies.

They had to quickly leave with the cargo of the 20 new prototypes of which unknown to them, one was active. Their vehicle was at the highest speed it could run on the highway without bringing attention. One armoured truck surrounded by four cars in a semi-safe route, to the harbour.

If they were to reach it, they would be free from any law and the deal, even if illegal, would have gone smoothly.

Yet they had been found. They knew they had, one of the team was a hacker and had picked up something, an encrypted communication. There was no doubt, they had been found. Unbeknownst to the people in the truck, their connection in Japan had been found out by Sector 9 that very morning and dispatched with terrifying effectiveness, now they were onto them.

"Remember…" The leader in the truck spoke through a encrypted channel straight into the head of the operation's head. "If everything goes south, destroy the cargo. It will be a big loss, yet our client deemed it acceptable."

Their strategy was already set, time for Sector 9 to make their move.

Section 9 had been given the information of the truck only an hour ago and they had moved with such speed that most organisations would still be deciphering the communication still. Motoko had left the two girls and the guy she had been having her night off with and headed back to the office. With the team all ready to go, she was inside her Tachikoma racing along the street, they were cloaked and hidden from view so no one could see them.

Two choppers flew overhead, Saito was sat in one with his sniper rifle ready, another set beside him. One anti-armour and the other a standard Anti-personal rifle. The other chopper had Boma ready with a rocket launcher and an anti-bipedal weapon filled with a goo like substance that when in contact with a target, hardened into concrete.

"Move." Motoko ordered her team when the point came, the route had started to change for the vehicles ahead of them. It had been set up with traffic barriers and the like, causing them to go onto the cleared section of the motorway.

That was when Motoko attacked. She infiltrated the mind of one of the truck drivers and simply crashed the vehicle into the one on its side. The Tachikoma's fired their main cannons at the vehicles left while Motoko and Batou raced their Tachikoma after the truck.

The Newly active cyborg in his small cell could not help but gasp as the truck was being crashed onto the side. However, while there was a clear drifting, to the point that the bulletproof truck would hit and make one of the cars protecting it crash off the road.

The hostiles opened up and began to fire. The weapons were nothing too advanced but they had some anti tank and heavy rifles. However, it seemed that the major interest was not to defend themselves, but rather to get the hell out of there.

As such an inferno would begin and the sounds of weapon fire outside. Out of panic, he began banging on the walls. Would someone hear him?

He didn't know, he hoped to get out of there and soon. He didn't remember anything but he had still an instinct of survival.

The Tachikoma's raced ahead of the main truck and turned around so their front was facing it. The driver would vaguely see some blurred shapes moving and most likely know there was cloaked people ahead of them. The man raised a SMG and fired out the window, the Tachikoma's swung side to side as they dodged the shots.

"Go Major, I've got this." The Tachikoma she was inside of spoke and the Major opened up the back and clambered over the frame of the Tachikoma and launched herself from one moving vehicle to the other. The engine frame of the truck croaked as she landed on its bonnet.

Punching the driver in the face, she clambered in just as Batou landed on the truck too.

"You drive, I go round back and secure the packages." She ordered and he nodded without a word, pushing the man into the side seat and taking over the truck. Climbing into the back, she saw the large container like structures and checked each one. Finally arriving at the one with an active sign inside. She put her hand to it, just as she noticed the blinking lights on the corner of each.

"We have explosives." She knelt down and let Ishikawa and Boma connect to her eyes. They instructed her on how to quickly disable it; her fingers quickly piecing at each wire until it was not glowing anymore.

"There is one on each one, I have to act quick or..." She suddenly swore as they all began to blink quicker. "Batou, their going to blow, Get the vehicle on a straight and then lock the system!" She instructed and began to try and pull the wire out of another one, but was stopped by Boma.

"Don't Major, it will blow the moment you do." She swore and turned, unplugging the one that was active from its wiring and caging and then kicked out the back of the truck. She half-surfed half-held on to the large container as it scraped along the motorway. Batou jumped out the back and skidded along. Moments later, the truck blew up and took half the motorway with it.

Getting up slowly, she signalled the secondary team to come and clean up the mess and see if recovery of anything could be done.

Looking down at her prize, she nodded to herself. "Lets get this back to HQ and crack it open".


	2. Brain Dive

_~ Brain Dive ~_

The thing in the capsule was still trying to figure out what was going on. As the rest of the cargo had yet to have a brain translated, he was the only one sentient and active and he was trying to show his activity as he kept banging against the walls. Hopefully to draw attention. Of course, he didn't know of the wires or likely he'd have caused either less or more ruckus.

"C'è Qualcuno?" He asked with a slightly loud voice, Italian for 'Is there anyone?" He could hear some indistinct buzzing, possibly of people, but no hints they had heard him out. What happened next actually made him gasp as first he felt as if someone had lifted the whole cell he was in, quickly followed by the rumour of a loud explosion. As soundproof as his small prison was, no way it could fully drown that loud noise, just feeling buffeted all over as he was rolled out of the place.

Did he do that? No it was unlikely, the way they seemed to pay attention to him had next to no correlation to his actions. Something had to be acting out. Slowly, however, not fatigue, not physical but mental would begin to supersede, his blows beginning to lose enthusiasm. Was anyone even noticing him? Possibly? He was hearing some movement again.

If only, if only. For a second, a small fit of rage and his prosthetic argumented strength would send his fist against one of the wall. The thud was surprising, but it was far from damaged. Maybe it had a dent? He couldn't say, too dark. Still... he didn't know it was this strong. Quickly, this realisation was followed by pain and numbness in his arm.

How much time was it passing outside? He had no idea. There was next to no light source so he could see, nor he had enough of an inner clock to be able to mark the passing of time. He wasn't tired, but he rested against one of the walls, trying to ponder for new strategies. Different transports, new movements. Occasionally he tapped with the foot the angle of his prison, by now pretty sure they weren't noticing him.

Now that he thought of it... that capsule wasn't too bad. Sure, eating was a problem but... he could breathe... have some movement... who knew what waited him outside. Did he want to know?

He honestly had come to fear to know were he was going... if that thought, this 'ghost feeling' weren't beginning to big him, he could have even fallen asleep. Maybe if closed the eyes for a mom... wait... what were those noise? was that... more light?

Oh yes, they are opening the capsule.

Oh no they are opening it.

What could he do? what could he do? Oddly his first instinct was a vain attempt to keep the door shut, but the blinding light, as used as he had been for his several hours inside a completely dark are made his optic receptors take some time to stabilise. Now he was frozen in fear to begin his new life, whatever it could be or, worse, how long it could last?

Staring at the young boy inside the container, no, a capsule, Motoko peered in. They were protected by several resistant blast screens but she stepped around and looked at him. Slowly peering at him without a word. Everyone around them had gone to Autistic mode; non-wireless mode and everything contained in their own head.

"Hello." Motoko spoke softly, she wore her standard blue jeans, V piece pink thing with a leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses tucked over in a pocket.

"My name is Major Motoko Kusanagi, I am from the Japanese Public Security Section 9 Police Agency." She spoke calmly, softly, almost motherly. Unsure if this was some sort of weaponized cyborg made to look like a child or perhaps a real child stolen. There had been cases of children being stolen during the Solid State Society case but they had to make sure.

"You are safe here. What is your name?"

When the woman spoke at first, he felt a little frozen, his sensory in an overload between the bright light, causing him to remove glasses and... wait, he could see, and pretty well... So why was he wearing glasses? He didn't know, but he put them by instinct back on. They felt almost as if protecting him.

Listening to the woman, he recognised the language as being Japanese, and he seemed to be understanding it pretty well. When he heard she was from a police agency, out of instinct he rose his hand in the air as if to show he had no weapon and was innocent. Slowly he gathered enough confidence to step out of the container.

And then came the question.

My name?

He hadn't thought of it nor he remembered it. His name his name? Immediately he looked all over his jacket as if to check for a clue, feeling a small piece of paper in his pocket he pulled it out and checked it.

闇暗黒

"Yami... Ankoku?" He read it aloud. Two different words which meant both darkness? 'Uh, well, it was as good as nothing.'

"Ankoku Yami?" He repeated, as if to say it was his name. He wasn't sure, to be honest, doubt dribbled all over his voice.

"Alright Ankoku Yami, how would you like me to address you?" She asked, "You can call me Motoko or Major, either one will do." She smiled softly and held out a hand.

"We will have to run some tests, to make sure you are okay, you've been through a lot but I'm here to help." She nodded slowly and smiled kindly at him.

His movements felt clumsy. Maybe he was used to be at that height, but not at what weight, clearly of someone who wasn't too good at getting used to this body. Even as he stretched his fingers, those were the movements of someone who didn't know the strength of his cybernetic body.

"I don't know, Major, call me as you wish." Was his genuine answer, giving a small bow as he nodded, giving an awkward smile back. It was understandable. However, he had to ask her something. He knew the answer but maybe…

"You don't know who I am, right Major?" He asked her. It was a genuine question, from someone who had no memory of anything before he had been activated.

"I'll call you Yami, as that's shorter." She explained and took his hand softly, making sure she did not hurt him. She could already sense through the small links she was opening between them that he had a lot of cyborg parts, seeing how clumsy he acted.

"I am afraid we do not know anything. We rescued you from terrorists but I promise you we will help you." She explained and would guide him through all the tests.

Red robed technicians would inspect his body, do scans and eventually at a final point, do a dive. Motoko would be the one doing the dive, and Yami was sat in a special chair to allow them to scan and monitor him. Motoko was sat behind him and she was speaking him through it.

"Alright Yami, I'm going to talk with you through a link, and we're going to dive into your mind. Stay calm through it and we will work through it all."

Closing her eyes, she dived into his mind. Standing in front of him in the virtual world of his mind, she had made sure to start avatars so they looked human inside the world.

He didn't say anything, his hand was clearly shaking in her grip. Was it because of nervousness, not getting used to the new body, contact? Or more? He himself couldn't say it. He was a little too confused. He did process the information, but didn't express any outward emotion.

Mostly because he didn't know how to react. She was more of an expert on this, he supposed. He wasn't even aware of the full technology behind it. Although honestly he was curious about it. Who knew what he could find. He was only able to crack an half smile, although it disappeared as he was being scanned. His body was a full body prosthetic, with only the brain of organic. Not an unusual case, by now, but to the Young man, he wouldn't even know he was far from the first case.

"You what?" He said, clearly new to these new information, but nodding. "I mean, sure Major, as you wish."

As his first time being dived into, much less when he was still trying to figure out his new body, was a little uncomfortable but the very transition between real world and virtual word was almost seamless.

"This isn't the real world anymore, isn't it?" He asked. The place was mostly fine. A fine and seamless gathering of data, such as language information, motor knowledge and other data. But the memory bank was almost completely wiped out.

The only coherent memories were from but a few ours ago, then strings of nearly undecipherable data, literally mangled fragment of memories

"We will have some answers as soon as possible, I have good people." She nodded and smiled.

She paused for a second and then nodded to herself. "You want to go outside? You will have to stay in autistic mode, I can show you how to do that but I requested it and they said that you can go out on a trip with me" she asked softly.

In fact this was a little plan to see if the enemy who did this to him would pop out, but she wouldn't say that to him; not very nice calling him bait after all

A vague statement.

Not a good beginning, but she had been left for only half a day and from what he knew his case was all but easy

When she said if he could go outside, Ankoku's eyes visibly sparkled. "I would not wish for anything else!"

Realising the excessive enthusiasm he dialled back as he repeated. "I would like to, Major. I guess that by autistic mode it practically means I would not have any long ranged connection, right?"

Seeing the enthusiasm in his eyes, she grinned softly. "You are basically going to be like a normal human being, no access to wireless connections. You will be wearing one of these to be safe." She pulled out the moon shaped neck brace.

"This is a defence barrier, if anyone tries to connect to you, it will stop them long enough for me to get to you. Tomorrow morning we will be going. You okay with being on your own over night?" She asked softly

"This is fine by me, I'd keep myself as grounded as possible as we speak, you know, first I want to get accustomed to this body, then being able to experiment with it. I have occasionally problem of twitching, I hope it's not a bug of some sort."

"We will check it out. But for now, I will take us out." With a quick flash, they were back in the 'Real world'. Motoko pulled out the connection and stood up, walking over to him.

Lets see about getting you some accommodation, you will be staying with us until we find out what happened to you then we will try and help you anyway we can."


	3. Dreams

_~ Dreams ~_

Motoko left him to getting used to his new room and life. For the entire night, she worked with her team to try and find who he really was and why he had been transported. They interrogated the men who they captured but most had been brain wiped or had been killed by suicide programs. She did however begin to piece together that someone was in charge of it and had Boma and Ishikawa on checking the data with Togusa on lead.

That night, she would come up to his room to check on him, having used the security camera's hidden in the room to make sure he was awake before knocking on the door and waiting outside, as if it was HIS room, and not really a holding cell for him; a very nice holding cell in fact.

"You okay?" She would ask as she was let in. "Settling in okay?" She asked,

Ankoku had taken most of the time he had trying to get used to his new body. From normal things like getting up from the bed, and walking across the room. At the moment, he didn't feel like watching movies, but he had found a documentary about Japan. Nothing too much, but surely at least he knew more than he did before. After that he had rested for around an hour.

What had happened during the sleep actually intrigued him.

"Oh Major. Good evening, how have you been?" He asked. "I am mostly getting used to this body but otherwise, I am fine, I am not missing any comfort.

'Yet I feel restless.' He thought.

He decided not to tell her mostly because he couldn't even explain why? Was he still nervous about his body coming mass produced? Or maybe the fact that, despite he was being treated as humanly as possible, he was still held as stolen property? He really couldn't answer.

"I had a dream, you know… from what I know, dreams are fragments of perception filtered through the brain into a narrative, could there be any memory inside it?"

Scratching his head he asked: "Can I share it with you?"

"Dreams are mostly memories from our subconscious and yes you can." She came in and sat down on the sofa, pulling out a small neck brace like object and putting it on her neck.

"This is a defence barrier, it will help me if there are any dangerous things inside your cyber brain." She explained and pulled out the cable.

"Well, you are the public officer and the expert, if you think this is necessary." He said with a nod before realising.

'Oh, of course, she was literally going to see it.'

Well, much better than just share it. He had to get used to how now he could pretty much do this. He had heard that it was outright possible to dive into other places with such ease you could outright find a second world in the net.

"This may feel weird for a moment but you'll get used to it." And with that she reached over him, her breasts almost pressing into his face, as she slid it into the port at the back of his neck.

As at the moment he was trying to 'latch' to his new body, he would rather avoid this. These thoughts almost vanished at the sight of Motoko's cleavage but managed to keep calm as she would connect to him

A moment later his vision blurred and he'd be in the virtual living room, she had created it to look perfect like the original.

"Alright, you can show me the dream, we'll go find it together." She told him and took his hand.

"Am I... back in the virtual reality?", he asked before taking some time to focus.

"Yes this is the virutal world." She smiled. "I created this little, well, lobby, so that it would not be so strange. A virtual world can be shown to many in different ways. We are avatars at the moment but I could literally be just an image of my face, a logo or even just a small circle showing my existance." She explained and then began to go through the dream with him.

"So, I was in this field? Forest? I'm not sure…" Ankoku explained as the place shifted as he told, as now the two were walking together on a path surrounded by shades of green and grey.

"My feet hurt... I couldn't explain why but I was angry at myself because I wasn't walking too much yet my feet hurt... I think I was a little faster than usual. I don't know why. When suddenly I see a tree" He spoke as the surrounding changed shape into a circle with said tree.

"And I was wondering why this tree was so different, as it had purple leaves and red fruits. As I am suddenly hungry, I think, I go to pick one of the fruits and I open it. He turned and showed her the fruit, a red pomegranate.

"I could smell it. It had a nice odour but as I am about to eat, I feel rain. The rain feels... odd... bubbly, I guess? And so I suddenly feel guilty and set the fruit away in shame. I seek protection from the rain and suddenly I am back laying in the capsule you found me. I am calm because it doesn't rain there. I try to touch the walls but I can't and it's then I wake up, with my arm up in the air, twitching a little.

He showed himself, or rather, a projection of himself, in that position on the bed. "Does it mean anything?"

"I'd have to have my people in my team check the dream over for analysis, but it could be something significant." She explained and reached out to grab the world in front of her, it blinked out of existence and into a small ball of glass, playing out inside the ball.

"I will take a copy if you do not mind? This will be needed for analysis." She put it in her pocket and turned to him.

"Are you okay? Are you getting used to yourself; I would like to know and help if there is anything you need."

"The bed is comfortable and I can't get too bored here. I will tell you if I have better dreams or some other information I can give you about myself or my past self or current self and possibly future self too." Ankoku nodded as he thought a little as he nodded.

"I feel a little silly to ask so many questions about my body but I think you should not underestimate yourself. I mean, I bet your model must have gone through multiple updates and modifications, both hardware and software." He bit his lip and stopped talking. It must be a personal thing to talk about such things.

Bowing his head to her, he smiled. "Goodnight."

"Its fine to ask questions. You will never learn anything if you dont ask questions." She smiled and chuckled. "I've been through so many bodies, sometimes I wonder if I'm even human." She let that slip a little before nodding.

"You are safe from a lot of things when you're with me. Goodnight, if you need me. Just think my name and the word 'Call' and you'll connect right to me, just think the words and you'll talk on your internal communications. Its the only thing I got active between you and I." She explained and left him to his own devices.


End file.
